Evil Dead the Musical Melds Hilarity & Horror During the Spooky Season Ahead

Actor Brett Goodnack sells the production as “two straight hours of catchy songs, slapstick humor, tongue-in-cheek (and not-so-tongue-in-cheek) references and some genuinely impressive stage tricks.” Zanny Laird calls the production “one wild ride full of campy hilarity and blood.” She adds, “If you love horror or even just Halloween, like me, this is the show for you.”

This is Nick Mitchell’s fifth time directing Evil Dead for PMT. “Our first time was in 2018, and its success combined with demand from the fanbase made it a quick perennial favorite here,” he says. “Our move to the West End Canopy set up in our parking lot has just seemed to really cement this production as one of Pittsburgh's ‘must-do’ events every spooky season.”

Mitchell was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. After life took him to Oklahoma City and NYC for a decade, he returned home in 2007 and began to build a family and career here. He’s directed shows in locations from Elizabeth to Freedom and nearly everywhere in between, garnering some critical acclaim along the way. He still studies acting with the California-based Z/A Studios and occasionally treads the boards.

Mitchell thinks Evil Dead is truly an experience unlike most any other. “I mean, you don't really see a ‘splatter zone’ at Oklahoma! (nor would I want to envision one...eeewww!),” he jokes. “I always describe it as musical theater perfect for someone who thinks they hate musicals. Yeah, there's singing and dancing, there's also one-liners, raunchy comedy and ..oh yeah...blood!“

He says the product is peak entertainment whether you know the original films or not. The first several rows offer the ultimate fan experience, as the comic-horror gore flies with reckless abandon by the finale. Yet, there are also plenty of seats out of harm's way — where he says you get to watch both shows in front of you, the actors and the splattered fans. “For those squeamish or on the fence, I'm happy to add that the blood is 100% washable,” he promises.

Brett Goodnack has “been a Pittsburgher his whole dang life,” and his theater upbringing began by doing musicals in high school and plays in college. “Truthfully, though I've never had any formal training,” he says, “it probably started with undiagnosed ADHD and an overactive imagination. When I moved back to the city after undergrad, I wanted something fun to do to keep me sane and distract me while I was in law school, so I started doing little theater gigs here and there for a few months, and then shortly kind of fell bass-ackwards into becoming an Actor's Equity actor. A decade later, and I'm still moonlighting as a pretender whenever my schedule allows!”

He describes the theater scene here as a little bit like the city itself — in that its character is really built on a bunch of unique little spots. “Just like how each of the neighborhoods has its own vibe and makes up what Pittsburgh really ‘is,’” he says, “the theater scene here is something special because of all of the different regional theaters, and how each one sort of fits in its own space, and brings something distinct. And much like the city, the scene is full of a lot of really talented, friendly folks. (And maybe the occasional jagoff, too.)”

Goodnack says this is unlike any show he’s been a part of — or seen. “Essentially, it's a pulp-comedy, meets a broadway musical mixed with a low-rent stunt show,” he says, “where a significant portion of the budget is dedicated solely to fake blood. It's a musical for people even if they don't like musicals, and the perfect Halloween show, even if you don't particularly love Halloween.”

And, of course, if folks do have a deep affection for the Evil Dead movie series, this show is tailor-made for them. But even if you haven't seen a single second of any of the films, Goodnack promises you’ll always be in on the joke, and you will have a “fun, white-knuckle ride from start to finish.”

Zanny Laird, who’s been doing professional theater for 23 years now, played Rizzo in PMT’s Grease last season and has directed for PMT Conservatory. A Chicago native, she first came to Pittsburgh for college at Carnegie Mellon and decided to move back a few years ago. She considers the Pittsburgh theater scene to be like one big family. “Everyone knows everyone in some way, and I have had the pleasure to work with many different people since I moved back,” she says. “There is so much talent and creativity here, so I constantly feel inspired by people I work with to keep pushing myself as an artist.”

As a spectator in years past, Laird always loved Nick and Gemma’s take on the show and the audience it brings in. “I was drawn to it for the physical challenge, and I am a sucker for fake blood,” she says, “so I’m elated that I get to do this show with this group of people.”

The style is very different from what Laird is used to, yet she’s thrilled to do a horror show in a musical context. “I love that I play two characters that are so opposite from each other,” she says. “Shelly’s comedy airs on the side of ridiculous, while Annie is overly serious and has a know-it-all, ‘I’m going to save the world’ mentality.”

Mitchell says, “A good time.” Other than that, expectations should be checked outside the canopy. “Visit the bar, find your seat, sit back and just let it wash over you,” he advises. “Find the fun references from the 80s through today, and just let yourself be whisked away to a place where demons may want to eat your soul, but only after their solo.”

Laird advises expecting the unexpected. “For our Evil Dead lovers, this is such a wild love letter to the films,” she says, “but I think there’s something for everyone (who could get into an R-rated movie) in this show. Expect to laugh and keep laughing, expect to be shocked, and expect all the blood.”

Mitchell thinks first-timers should take the plunge, and get splatter zone seats if available. “Just don't be surprised if your Uber driver wants you to sit on trash bags on the way home!” he says. Goodnack shares a helpful hack: You can buy a poncho at the show if need be.

Celebrate Pittsburgh’s spooky season in other ways, too, like attending Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest, which takes place 6-11 p.m. on Fridays, Noon-11 pm.. Saturdays and noon-10 p.m. Sundays from now through October 27 (plus on Thursday, October 24, from 6-11 p.m.). You can also: Brave a Haunted Three Rivers Cruise & Tour on the Gateway Clipper, catch a dazzling show at Liberty Magic, attend “Haunted Museum After Dark” at Carnegie Museum of Natural History (October 18), participate in Halloween Movie Trivia (October 24) and other seasonal happenings at City Kitchen — Bakery Square, or get in on pop-ups at citywide restaurant/bars plus festive brewery events, like a family-friendly market taking over Trace Brewing (October 7).